President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides said on Friday that there have been developments in the case of Tasos Isaac and Solomos Solomou, who were killed during demonstrations against Turkish occupation of Cyprus near Deryneia in August 1996.The Government is taking all necessary steps to pursue those responsible for their killing, he stressed.
The President was speaking at the Presidential Palace, where he received a group of motorcyclists participating in the Isaac-Solomou Memorial Initiative, along with members of the families of the two men, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of their deaths. Addressing the motorcyclists, President Christodoulides said that, for the Government, what happened in August 1996 remains an unresolved issue.
“These were murders, nothing less. We must call things by their name. We all witnessed what happened. It is neither an opinion nor an impression-it was two acts of murder,” he said. The President added that “there have been developments, but it would not be appropriate for me to discuss them publicly,” noting that he was prepared to brief the families privately, away from the public spotlight.
He assured them that the Government is doing everything required regarding those responsible. Addressing members of the two families directly, President Christodoulides said: “We know very well the obligation we have towards you, towards the families of our heroes, and I want to state publicly that we will not stop for a single moment until we fulfil our duty towards you and towards the Cypriot people.”
Welcoming the members of the Initiative back from their multi-day journey through Greece to mark the 30 years since the death of Isaac and Solomou, President Christodoulides said he had followed their trip closely. He remarked that their route reminded him of the educational trip to Greece made decades earlier by EOKA hero Evagoras Pallikarides and his classmates, noting that his own father had been one of Pallikarides’ classmates and had often spoken to him about that experience.
The President also congratulated the Initiative for what he described as its “very carefully chosen” itinerary. He praised the motorcyclists’ efforts to raise awareness of the Cyprus issue, stressing that such efforts should always begin in Greece. “What you achieved during these ten days would normally require years of diplomatic work or government efforts to produce the same results,” he said. Travelling under the slogan “Guided by Memory, Driven by Freedom,” the bikers covered hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of kilometres by motorcycle, as well as significant distances by sea.
Referring to the sacrifice of Isaac and Solomou, President Christodoulides said the greatest tribute to their memory is the continuation of the struggle for which they gave their lives. “What they were demanding was nothing more than the right to move freely throughout their own country, as every citizen of a European state should be able to do. They fought for the liberation of this country and for the termination of the occupation,” he said. He also announced that he intends to attend the annual memorial events set to take place on 8 August.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the events of August 1996, when Tasos Isaac was beaten and stoned to death on 11 August, and three days later, on 14 August, Solomos Solomou was shot dead by Turkish forces as he attempted to remove the Turkish occupation flag in Deryneia village.